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Heat-stressed Metarhizium anisopliae: viability (in vitro) and virulence (in vivo) assessments against the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus

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Abstract

The current study investigated the thermotolerance of Metarhizium anisopliae s.l. conidia from the commercial products Metarril® SP Organic and Metarril® WP. The efficacy of these M. anisopliae formulations against the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. was studied in laboratory under optimum or heat-stress conditions. The products were prepared in water [Tween® 80, 0.01 % (v/v)] or pure mineral oil. Conidia from Metarril® SP Organic suspended in water presented markedly delayed germination after heating to constant 40 °C (for 2, 4, or 6 h) compared to conidia suspended in mineral oil. Metarril® SP Organic suspended in oil and exposed to daily cycles of heat-stress (40 °C for 4 h and 25 °C for 19 h for 5 consecutive days) presented relative germination of conidia ranging from 92.8 to 87.2 % from day 1 to day 5, respectively. Conversely, germination of conidia prepared in water ranged from 79.3 to 39.1 % from day 1 to day 5, respectively. Culturability of Metarril® WP decreased from 96 % when conidia were cultured for 30 min prior to heat exposure (40 °C for 4 h) to 9 % when conidia were cultured for 8 h. Tick percent control was distinctly higher when engorged females were treated with oil suspensions rather than water suspensions, even when treated ticks were exposed to heat-stress regimen. Oil-based applications protected fungal conidia against heat-stress. Although Metarril® is not registered for tick control, it may be useful for controlling R. sanguineus, especially if it is prepared in mineral oil.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Chad A. Keyser (Utah State University) for comments on early version of the manuscript. We thank Drauzio E. N. Rangel (Universidade Federal de Goiás) and Lígia M. F. Borges (Universidade Federal de Goiás) for a critical review of the manuscript. We are grateful to the Koppert Biological Systems Company for providing the products Metarril® SP Organic and Metarril® WP used in the current study and to R.A. Humber (US Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service, Ithaca, NY, USA) for providing the fungal strain M. robertsii ARSEF 2575. We thank the Center for Zoonosis Control from Goiânia and Aparecida de Goiânia for assistance during the ticks’ collections. We also thank the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) of Brazil for providing MSc scholarship for L.P. Barreto and Ph.D. scholarship for C.C. Bernardo, and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) of Brazil for providing undergraduate scholarships for F.M. Alves and F.R.S. Paixão. This research was supported by grants from CNPq (477921/2011-6 and 484329/2012-0). We also thank CNPq for the grants PQ 308850/2015-7 for É.K.K. Fernandes and 308189/2013-2 for C. Luz.

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  1. Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Avenida Esperança s/n, Campus Samambaia, Goiânia, GO, 74690-900, Brazil

    Fabrício M. Alves, Cíntia C. Bernardo, Flávia R. S. Paixão, Lucas P. Barreto, Christian Luz, Richard A. Humber & Éverton K. K. Fernandes

  2. Emerging Pest and Pathogens Research Unit, US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, Ithaca, NY, 14853-2901, USA

    Richard A. Humber

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  1. Fabrício M. Alves
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  2. Cíntia C. Bernardo
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  3. Flávia R. S. Paixão
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  4. Lucas P. Barreto
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  5. Christian Luz
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Alves, F.M., Bernardo, C.C., Paixão, F.R.S. et al. Heat-stressed Metarhizium anisopliae: viability (in vitro) and virulence (in vivo) assessments against the tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus . Parasitol Res 116, 111–121 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-016-5267-z

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